1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved reservoir for hydraulic fluid or the like and more particularly to such a reservoir which is operable to minimize contamination of hydraulic fluid or the like contained therein and circulated therethrough by contaminants such as air and other gases, condensed water and particulate matter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of reservoirs in hydraulic systems for the containment and supply of hydraulic fluid carried through the delivery and return lines of such systems has long been known. Conventionally, such reservoirs have provided a substantially closed chamber or container adapted to be connected in fluid-flow relation to one or more delivery, suction and return lines through which hydraulic fluid is delivered to the hydraulic system and returned therefrom.
It has long been recognized that the efficacy of a given hydraulic system is, in large part, dependent upon maintaining the fluid contained therein in as uncontaminated a state as possible, whereby deterioration of hydraulic system components is minimized and heat build-up and pressure loss are reduced.
For instance, a problem commonly encountered with many hydraulic systems is the introduction of air bubbles into the hydraulic fluid returned to the reservoir due to the turbulence created within the reservoir by the flow of the fluid thereinto. The air bubbles are commonly difficult to remove and often result in a reduction of pump output as well as a build-up of air pockets or cavities within the system itself.
Similarly, water molecules carried within the hydraulic fluid and dispersed therein have a tendency to condense within the reservoir, particularly when brought into contact with the walls of the reservoir. Such condensation is a result of hydraulic fluid returning from the hydraulic system having a higher temperature relative to both that of the fluid already present in the reservoir and to the walls of the reservoir itself, such that, when brought into contact with the reservoir walls, the water condenses into droplets. The droplets collect and are recirculated and have deleterious affects on the overall functioning and efficiency of the system.
Perhaps the most significant factor in causing damage to hydraulic systems and components and causing consequent debilitation of the overall system is the presence in the hydraulic fluid of contaminating particulate matter. Such particulate matter can consist of, for example, extraneous dirt introduced into the system, the byproducts of degradation of the hydraulic fluid itself, or fragments of synthetic materials employed in the valve rings and other components of the hydraulic system. Accumulation of such foreign matter within the reservoir can cause serious damage to the system if and when the particles are recirculated throughout the system, either dispersed or in an agglutinated or flocked mass.
Attempts heretofore made in the art aimed at providing improved hydraulic fluid reservoirs have largely proved unsatisfactory for their intended purposes or have ineffectively addressed the three sources of systemic and fluid contamination discussed above. Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have an improved reservoir for hydraulic fluids and liquids capable of reducing or substantially eliminating the contamination of hydraulic fluid by air, particulate matter, and condensed moisture with an effectiveness and dependability heretofore unattainable.